ORLANDO, Fla. _ Special Prosecutor Brad King has formally filed notice that he intends to seek the death penalty against accused cop killer Markeith Loyd.
That paperwork was made public Tuesday.
Loyd, 41, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton, who was shot four times in a Wal-Mart parking lot Jan. 9 as she tried to arrest him.
He's also charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Sade Dixon, Loyd's pregnant ex-girlfriend, who was shot to death in December.
King filed notice of his intent to seek the death penalty in that case, too.
King was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to handle both cases after Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala announced that she would not seek the death penalty against anyone during her term.
On Monday, Scott signed another series of executive orders, taking 21 other murder cases away from Ayala and reassigning them to King.
Ayala has criticized Scott for making those reassignments, calling them unprecedented and a violation of her authority.
In each death penalty notice filed against Loyd, King gave a list of reasons why, under Florida's statutes, Loyd should be given a death sentence.
Each homicide was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, he wrote; they were carried out in a cold and calculating manner and Loyd has a history of violence.
